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The Modification Moneypit

When I bought my bike, I insisted I wasn’t going to modify it. If anything, I would save up and trade it for a bigger bike. Well, I’m still open to the second option, but I really want different pipes on my bike. After nearly being hit about a dozen times by senior citizens in beige Toyota Avalons, I want to make some noise and hopefully become a bit more conspicuous. My bike is nearly silent at or near idle, which is most of the time in town, and I really don’t want to be hit by an ancient person who didn’t want to stop at a stop sign. I like Vance & Hines pipes, as I have a number of friends who have them on their metrics (and a couple of Harleys). I want the V&H Short Shots. View below and rejoice:

They’re about $350, plus probably an hour of shop time to install, which runs about $70/hr, and it will require a re-jet, which will be another three hours of shop time plus parts. I’m not super stoked about the bill totaling nearly $1000, but if I save for a year, it will be easily paid for. Then again, I may kick it into super-saver mode and try to come up with $4000 to blow on a VTX 1300 (plus the trade of my beloved little blue Honda).

I’m really happy with my bike, and I’m getting a bit attached to it, which kinda makes me want to just tweak it a bit and hold onto it for many more years. That would be a much cheaper option than immediately jumping to the big VTX. The only things I want to do are the pipes, a re-jet, and maybe bolt on a Mustang seat so my wife can go on trips with me. That would make about $1500 and I could ride the bike for many more years, and since it’s a Honda, nothing will break.